Harman Pro UK launches tour sound company finance initiative

UK: Harman Pro UK has revealed details of a new deal that will make it easier for tour sound companies to finance the direct purchase of two of its most popular high-end equipment lines - Soundcraft's Vi-series digital consoles and JBL's VerTec-series line array systems, reports PSN-e.

UK: Harman Pro UK has revealed details of a new deal that will make it easier for tour sound companies to finance the direct purchase of two of its most popular high-end equipment lines - Soundcraft's Vi-series digital consoles and JBL's VerTec-series line array systems, reports PSN-e.

Harman Pro UK Finance allows for a variety of agreement types, dependent on the requirements of the company applying. While 0% finance is available over two years, "exceptionally low rates" are said to be on offer for longer periods. Deferred payment schemes can also be arranged for the purchase of Vi6 and/or VerTec systems - a set-up that, suggests Harman Pro UK, might suit a company with guaranteed festival work on the horizon.

"We know from experience that cashflow can be a problem for even the largest tour companies," commented Harman Pro UK's Gary Dent. "Things go well when you have a couple of big tours happening and then business can be quiet for a patch. That's not very conducive to paying off a large loan, with interest, on a regular basis. But with our new finance schemes, you could defer payment for a period, or pay it off completely interest-free within a set timeframe if your cashflow situation is favourable. We think this flexibility will prove very attractive to our tour sound clients."

As with all finance arrangements, Harman Pro UK's 0% deals for VerTec and Vi6 or Vi4 purchases are subject to conditions and credit checks. For more information, contact Gary Dent on 01707 668222.

UK: Harman Pro UK had announced details of another training day for live sound engineers wishing to find out more about the Soundcraft Vi6 digital live sound console (pictured). The event will be held a week this Friday (March 7th) at the head office of SSE Audio in Redditch. Also on an educative tip, Harman Pro UK has announced that it is to begin a regular series of free industry training sessions aimed at improving PA-related knowledge amongst retailers, with the first event to take place at the company's headquarters in Potters Bar on April 16th, writes David Davies.

UK: Trade in your old Yamaha NS10s and recoup _200 towards the cost of a pair of JBL Professional LSR4300 monitors. That, in a nutshell, is the new offer devised by distributor Harman Pro UK, reports David Davies.

UK: AKG's UK/Eire distributor, Harman Pro UK, has announced a trade-in deal for users of old Shure SM58 dynamic vocal microphones. From last month until further notice, users returning an old SM58 at participating music shops will receive a discount of _20 on the price of a new AKG D5 dynamic vocal mic (list price _109.99 incl VAT), writes David Davies.

UK: The company is aiming "to dispel many of the popular myths" surrounding recording, writes David Davies. Prism Sound's 'From Mic to Monitor' roadshow will visit universities and colleges in six UK cities during a two-week period commencing November 17th.

UK: As of yesterday (March 19), Audioforce has become the exclusive UK distributor of Lab.gruppen. The deal - which follows the announcement in February that the amplifier manufacturer's previous arrangement with Sennheiser UK was to come to an end - marks the emergence onto the British scene of a new distributor with a resoundingly ambitious objective. "We want to become the leading pro-audio distributor for the UK," Audioforce managing director Guy Lewis (pictured on the left) tells David Davies.

UK: Retail prices of the Soundcraft MH2 mixing console range in the UK have been reduced by 30% with immediate effect following what Harman Pro UK describes as "improvements in manufacturing at Soundcraft". And in other Harman-related news, the distributor recently organised a series of product showcases that saw three fortunate visitors walk away with limited edition AKG C414 microphones, writes David Davies.

WORLD: Following the introduction of the PLM 10000Q - the first model in its new Powered Loudspeaker Management touring range - at PLASA 2007, Lab.gruppen recently held four major training events for its distribution network in support of the new product series. Meanwhile, Michael J. Christensen - the manufacturer's vice-president of sales & marketing - reports that PLM sales to this point have "surpassed all expectations", writes David Davies.

UK: TEAC Corporation's pro-audio product division has launched a dedicated sales & support service for the UK pro-AV sector, reports David Davies. The initiative is intended to promote the advantages of TASCAM's new solidstate recorder series, which is said to offer "next generation" digital media storage, playout and network management capabilities.